No Fun January

Honestly, I don't know where the past two months have gone.  It's been horribly cold this winter which I guess has been alright since I haven't been able to do much.  In January, a week after getting home from our Christmas traveling, found me back in the ER.  This time I was admitted with a blocked bile duct and infected liver.  They scheduled me for an ERCP to have a gallstone removed.  I was in a lot of pain and by the time they took me in for the procedure the next day, the pain meds were barely touching it.  Two weeks later I was scheduled for surgery to remove said gall bladder.  I knew prayers were working and that I ended up out at this hospital for a reason as the surgeon very frankly admitted to me just prior to surgery that he did not go into surgery alone.  That he prayed before every surgery for God to be there with him.  He told us later that the surgery had been a bit difficult with the gall bladder swollen.  He said it looked like that of a 65 year old man!  Yuck!  It's been a week and I am healing up nicely.  John did an awesome job helping me during my two stays in the hospital.  And I appreciate so much that he was able to be with me during most of my stay. But, I was again reminded how difficult it is to live away from family.  It's a rather lonely feeling. 



So, it's just not been a fun month.  I feel tired, unmotivated, and really behind on everything I had planned to do this winter.  We had some beautiful snow falls which I wasn't able to go out and photograph, but here are a few neighborhood shots of the "big" storm.  We got about 10-12 inches, which took the poor neighborhood kid about 3 hours to shovel.

 

I was blessed this month with two new birds in my backyard, a mockingbird and a northern flicker.  They've been back several times.  They were hard to photograph through the window.

 

 



 

 

 

 

Heading Home

On the second leg of my little get-away, I went HOME.  You know, the place that no matter how long you're gone or how far away you are, it's always HOME.  I drove up from Kentucky to Ohio.  I took my time, even took a little side trip through some countryside.  I couldn't believe I saw two eagles.  The one was sitting in a field and as I slowed down, it flew up into the trees. 

 

 I spent a couple days at my in-laws.  Here I rested, watched the falling snow and the birds, enjoyed the company of my second mom.  Then I went to stay with mom.

We enjoyed just being together, antique shopping, going to lunch, and a movie with my sisters where we laughed until we cried.  We discovered a few new antique shops downtown where I bought a vintage camera.

We had dinner with a few of my aunts and cousins and I spent the day with my Aunt Bonnie where we talked photography for hours.  Her 4 year old granddaughter played model for us...what a cutie.  Spent the day with my newest nephew and fell in love, He's the sweetest little guy I know.

Before I knew it, it was time to head home, but I really was ready.  I'd been blessed by all the beautiful women in my life...loved on, listened to, hugged.  They filled up my empty cup and reminded me that I'm not alone even though I'm far away.  Thank you all for a great trip!

 

White as Snow

We had all hoped for a white Christmas this year. But instead of snowing on Christmas, it showed up a day late.  I woke up on the 26th and everything was coated in white.  It was beautiful and I decided to take a walk through the woods around my in-laws home.  What is it about a fresh snow?  It's like it calls my name and whispers, "Come spend time with me."  I bundled up with coat, gloves, scarf and boots and made my way through this winter wonderland.  I was in a world of white lace...every branch was lined with snow.

As I walked the path through the trees, there was a hush all around, it was so peaceful, quiet, and clean.  Except for a few animal prints in the snow, there was nothing marring the snow.

It was a reminder of yet another of God's promises...the gift of grace.  He will remove our sins and make them as white as snow.  Christmas time is over, people are taking down the decorations.  However, let's not forget that Christ came not for a day or a season, but forever.  To all who believe, like the snow blankets the earth, His grace covers us making us white as the snow, pure and clean. 

This big guy lives across the street.  I went over to try to get some pictures, but, as you can see above, he was way across the field.  I crossed the street to head back, stopped to take a couple pics.  He started mooing at me and when I looked over, he was half way across the field.  I knew he was calling me so I went back across the street and he practically ran over to the fence to greet me.  What a sweet ole guy!

Isaiah 1:18
"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Love,
    ~Aimee

Winter

I've lived in Illinois for six years now and have never seen the wild turkeys running around our neighborhood and still nothing to this day. However, while visiting family in Ohio, three wild turkeys came up to the house and checked things out. They left after just a minute and came back with the whole flock!! I had to photograph them through the window...so they aren't perfectly clear.

We did not get snow for Christmas, but the snow did come the next day. Just enough to coat everything in white.